Scar tissue..

[Mark Kim]

anyone know if there are any treatments to help with nerve pain for permanent relief? I found out out that my micro-lumbar disektomy caused some scar tissue to press on my l5-s1 nerve root. The doctors say that can't do anything for me except to see a pain specialist. I don't want to live on neurotin the rest of my life. Oh, one thing that has helped is feldenkrais for back pain. If anyone wants to know what it is, pm me.

[Harrison]

Mark,

See my October 10 post here about enzymes. Some "newer" enzymes such as serrapeptase work very effectively against fibrin. This particular enzyme is pretty neat -- they first identified it from the gut bacteria of a silkworm, then reverse engineered the formula for human use. It's used as a prescription drug in some countries, such as Italy.

Some people take this instead of certain prescription medications, as it has blood thinning properties. So, be careful and do your research on enzymes, as they can be powerful, effective or dangerous. The book I mention in that referring topic provides an excellent overview for the layman...

Hope this helps!

[ZorroSF]

I've tried a lot of therapy for nerve entrapment and only soft tissue release and pilates works for me. in your case you have something rubbing up against a nerve root that is hard to get to. my only guess is to determine what exasterbastes the pain and what you think you can tolerate. if you can do lengthening exercises (pilates) this will relieve the deep tissue muscles. you could also get a deep tissue massage and release the erector-spinae.

you're kind of in a hard spot because you can set off that nerve at any point in time if you overdo it. an extreme case would be to get an epidural then work on releiving the locked up muscles in your back.

[Rosie]

I have a similar problem and have tried LLLT for several months without much relief. Am now trying FMT (frequency microcurrent therapy). It's very hard to deal with.

Any input would be appreciated.

[mn_mom]

I have been to a chiropractor and he worked on stretching it-- and acupuncture--- it helped!

[Mark Kim]

I am currently doing physical therapy where they incorporate pilates and feldenkrais. The feldenkrais has provided some relief especially the gentle movements to loosen up the tights muscles. Scar tissue is tough especially because there are not many options that has proven successful.

[B13s]

I found this when I was looking for ways to deal with scar tissue:
http://bjr.birjournals.org/cgi/content/full/77/922/885
Even tried myself for a few months - but stopped since my pain disappeared and few months is not enough to tell a difference.

I also had a similar problem after back surgery. I ended up going to bikram yoga and this helped.
A few months ago I started to get pain when I walked. The pain would subside when I sit. I tried a chiropractor for two months with no results.
I then went to a MAT trainer and with three sessions he was able to show me exercises to do daily for muscles I needed to strengthen. This has helped.
I might also try the machine that stretches out the spine.
Hope you get better.

[Liz]

supposedly Dr. Aaron Filler in LA has a lot of experience w/nerve pain relief, see http://www.nervemed.com/aboutaf.html and on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE7ZRpXGmIY. i've only heard about him on this board so i can't personally recommend him. maybe there is someone like him in NY? or maybe you could send him your MRI/CT films and have a phone consult to see if he thinks he could help you?

for the scar tissue i do acupuncture as well but my guess is that's mainly helping scar tissue i can feel rather than the deeper scar tissue that is your issue (and anyone's w/surgery).

best,
liz

[geezer]

Originally posted by Mark Kim:
anyone know if there are any treatments to help with nerve pain for permanent relief? I found out out that my micro-lumbar disektomy caused some scar tissue to press on my l5-s1 nerve root. The doctors say that can't do anything for me except to see a pain specialist. I don't want to live on neurotin the rest of my life. Oh, one thing that has helped is feldenkrais for back pain. If anyone wants to know what it is, pm me.

I have been told by my surgeon in Melbourne that I may have the same thing. I have also been told by Dr Zeegers at AlphaKlinik that scar tissue is a "non-diagnosis" I'll be discussing my options on Tuesday 25th March and I'll report back to the forum. I'm hoping for better answers than "pain management", I'm sick of pumping all these drugs into my body.